Three WBB Prospects Set for WNBA Draft Friday
4/16/2020 2:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Cox, Cooper & Landrum all potential picks for Friday’s WNBA Draft
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
While their dreams of winning the 2020 national championship ended when the NCAA Championship was canceled due to COVID-19, Baylor's trio of Lauren Cox, Te'a Cooper and Juicy Landrum have a chance to fulfill a dream they've had for a lot longer.
"I guess it's anybody's dream as a kid when you play basketball, to make it to the WNBA," said 5-foot-8 sharpshooter Juicy Landrum, who ranks third all-time with 170 career made 3-pointers and a .403 shooting percentage outside the arc.
The 6-4 Cox and 5-8 Cooper are probable first-round picks that would have likely been invited to New York City for Friday's WNBA Draft, while Landrum could be taken "maybe later in the second round, somewhere in the third round," said Dallas Wings President and CEO Gregg Bibb.
But, due to shelter-in-place orders, the Draft will be held virtually without players, fans or media and will be televised live by ESPN beginning at 6 p.m.
"It doesn't take away from the excitement," said Cox, a unanimous first-team All-American who is projected to go to the Indiana Fever with the third overall pick. "I'm just a little bit disappointed that we won't get to go to New York, be there with all the other players, walk across the stage, get our jersey. But, it's still an exciting time in our lives, it's what we've dreamed of. So, we're going to make the most of it and have fun with it."
Until Oregon forward Satou Sabally put her name in as a draft-eligible junior, Cox was expected to be taken with the second overall pick by her hometown Dallas Wings. It seems to be a foregone conclusion that the New York Liberty will select National Player of the Year Sabrina Ionescu with the first pick.
Cox, a high school All-American from Flower Mound, said it would be like playing "in my back yard" if she went to the Wings.
"It would be nice to be close to home and playing for kind of the hometown team and playing in front of my family and friends," said Cox, who averaged 12.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.7 blocks per game as a senior. "There's a lot of Baylor fans in the Dallas area, and I think they would continue to support us at the next level and come out and see some games."
The Wings' Bibb said Cox is "obviously an elite-level talent . . . I think she's going to be a fantastic pro and have a long career."
"I think the thing I like the most about her is her leadership ability," said Bibb, whose team has three of the top seven picks. "I've watched her teammates respond to her favorably. Much like (New York Liberty head coach Walt Hopkins) spoke of Sabrina, I see the same kind of leadership by example trait in Lauren. And, obviously, I think she's a great defender."
With Indiana and Atlanta holding the Nos. 3 and 4 picks, respectively, Cox could potentially be paired with either 6-7 Teaira McCowan in Indy or former teammate Kalani Brown with the Dream.
Tamika Catchings, who was recently voted into the Naismith Hall of Fame with Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, is general manager with the Fever. Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Marianne Stanley was hired as Indiana's head coach after helping the Washington Mystics win the 2019 WNBA championship as an assistant coach.
"It's kind of a win-situation for me," Cox said. "Coach Stanley is coming off a championship last year with the Mystics and Tamika Catchings is a former player and was just inducted into the Hall of Fame. So, that's a positive for Indiana. And then, if I were to go to Atlanta, I would get to pay with Kalani again and get that high-low game back again. That would be a lot of fun."
Various mock drafts have Cooper going anywhere from the middle of the first round to early in the second. ESPN's latest projection has the South Carolina grad transfer joining Cox in Indiana with the 14th pick overall and second pick in the second round. A year ago, grad transfer point guard Chloe Jackson was the 15thpick overall by the Chicago Sky.
"I think Te'a helped herself tremendously," Bibb said of Cooper, a first-team All-Big 12 pick and honorable mention All-American who averaged 13.6 points and 4.6 assists in her one season with the Lady Bears.
"Coach Mulkey has definitely figured out a formula in terms of bringing in a point guard and having success. Much like Chloe Jackson before her, Te'a being more of a combo guard came in and had the opportunity to showcase herself at the point, did really well. . . . Obviously, the more minutes she gets at point guard, the more comfortable she'll get there. I think she is, for sure, a WNBA talent."
Cooper, who "started taking (basketball) seriously" when she was in the sixth grade, said she has struggled to prepare for the next level with the shelter-in-place orders.
"I haven't been able to do not even a little bit of what I would be doing to prepare. It's very challenging, very unfortunate. Just doing what you can as much as you can and trying to find a reason to get up and work out has been a struggle."
If Landrum is taken, it would be the first time in program history that Baylor has had three players selected in the same draft. In the previous 23 years, the Lady Bears have had 16 players drafted, including two picks each in 2002, 2013, 2017 and 2019.
Landrum said the transition from college to pro basketball has been difficult, because "one minute you're on the plate ready to go play (at the Big 12 Championship), and the next everything is over."
"It's been kind of hard preparing for it, because you don't know what to expect," said Landrum, a high school standout at nearby La Vega. "You can't go and just really work on your game and see what you need to improve."
Bibb calls Landrum "an elite shooter." She set the Baylor, Big 12 and NCAA record with 14 made 3-pointers in the Dec. 18 game against Arkansas State, scoring a career-high 42 points.
"I think for her, it's probably more situational – where does she go, what does that roster look like, is there an opportunity for her to make a roster for herself as a specialist and then develop into more than that on a WNBA roster? he said.
"I think all three certainly have an opportunity to be a part of the draft and get a shot in the WNBA."
The virtual draft "doesn't affect my excitement at all," Landrum said. "Just to be drafted by a team . . . there's nothing not to be excited about. Yeah, it hurts to not be able to see friends, teammates walk across the stage to get their jersey. But overall, I'm still excited about it, just to get drafted."
WACO, Texas – The 24th annual WNBA Draft will be held virtually and will air on ESPN Friday at 6 p.m. CT. Baylor University's Lady Bears have three potential draft selection in the 2020 draft with Lauren Cox, Te'a Cooper and Juicy Landrum as hopefuls to continue their careers professionally.
The draft, originally scheduled to take place in New York City, will continue as normal but with the selections made virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both Cox and Cooper will be featured with in-home video hits on ESPN.
The WNBA first held a draft in 1997, and this year's event will feature 36 picks over three rounds for the 12 franchises.
Baylor has had 16 prior WNBA draft choices, including eight first-round selections. Brittney Griner was the No. 1 overall pick in 2013 by Phoenix Mercury, and one year later Odyssey Sims was Baylor's next-highest draft choice when she was selected No. 2 overall by the Tulsa Shock.
Cox is expected to be a top-five pick in the draft, and if she were taken in the first five choices, she'd join Griner, Sims and Sophia Young (No. 4 overall in 2006 by San Antonio) as Lady Bears selected in the top five.
Various media outlets' mock drafts have Cooper as a first or second-round selection and Landrum as a second or third-round pick.
Cox was selected to five All-America teams in 2019-20 and was the fourth Lady Bear to sweep four All-American honors from the Associated Press, USBWA, WBCA and John Wooden Award teams. She left as just the second player in NCAA history to compile at least 1,500 points, 982 rebounds, 300 blocks and 300 assists.
Cooper was an honorable mention All-America selection by the AP, WBCA and USBWA, and Landrum is one of the top deep-threats in the draft, leaving Baylor ranked No. 3 in both 3-point field goals (170) and 3-point field goal percentage (.403).
If all three Lady Bears are drafted, it will mark the first time in program history that Baylor has had three selections in one draft. Baylor had two selections in the 2002, 2013, 2017 and 2019 WNBA drafts.
Updated bios of all three prospects can be found on the women's basketball roster on BaylorBears.com.
